Fundraiser to benefit good Samaritan coach

A fundraiser for Wayne Nash, the Carson High junior varsity girls coach who was shot while coming the aid of a gunshot victim, will be 5-8 p.m. this evening at Straw Hat Pizza on Clearview Drive.

To help with the bills, 50 percent of the proceeds in those three hours will go to the Carson High School Fund for Wayne Nash.

Erin Been, a Carson High School physical education teacher, organized the event. She said she met Nash in 1995 when she began working at the school and he was a substitute P.E. teacher. The two became fast friends, she said.

That Nash, 51, was trying to help someone was no surprise to Been. That he was shot doing so is horrifying, she said.

"He has a heart of gold. He's an amazing person. Just the kindest heart I ever met in my whole entire life," Been said. "He would do anything for anybody, anytime."

Been said the injury Nash sustained will take extensive rehabilitation.

"I'm sure these medical costs will be above and beyond what his insurance will cover," said Been.

A large caliber bullet tore through Nash's right calf, and doctors at first were uncertain they could save his leg, according to Nash's father-in-law.

Been said she also hopes to set up a donation account for Nash in the coming days.

"He done so much for the community, and it's such a tragedy what happened. I just think it's our time to give back," she said.